This ice cream works a lot like vanilla bean—gently but assertively spiced with floral, fruity, and citrusy flavors working in tandem. It's a good general purpose ice cream but with a point of view all its own. The way mulled wine should be. More

This ice cream works a lot like vanilla bean—gently but assertively spiced with floral, fruity, and citrusy flavors working in tandem. It's a good general purpose ice cream but with a point of view all its own. The way mulled wine should be. More

In this ice cream, blueberries are cooked into a rich jam with lime, star anise, and cinnamon, then blended into a custard for an ice cream that tastes like blueberry cobbler, but a lot more interesting. More

Braised short ribs are one of those no-brainer wintertime comfort foods. Easy to prep, slow to cook, and luscious to eat, the well-marbled cut of beef tastes great simmered in just about anything—from tomato-based Italian broths to beer and beef broth. In Charles Phan'sVietnamese Home Cooking, Phan presents a French-influenced stew laced with lemongrass, ginger, star anise, and Thai chiles. More

Braised short ribs are one of those no-brainer wintertime comfort foods. Easy to prep, slow to cook, and luscious to eat, the well-marbled cut of beef tastes great simmered in just about anything--from tomato-based Italian broths to beer and beef broth. In Charles Phan'sVietnamese Home Cooking, Phan presents a French-influenced stew laced with lemongrass, ginger, star anise, and Thai chiles. Alongside the short ribs, he braises (not-surprising) carrots and (more curious) daikon radish to add sweetness and texture to the beef. And a bonus? The brothy, rich sauce is wonderful on its own should you "accidentally" eat all of the beef out of the stew first More

I have a strange infatuation with star anise, so I was sold on this recipe from The Breakaway Cook from the very beginning. But my enthusiasm only strengthened when I realized it'd be served with Meyer lemons, which are roasted on the same baking sheet as the chicken. I could just smell the fragrant chicken pieces before ever walking into the kitchen. More

This month's Saveur included an excellent whiskey article by Rebecca Barry. What really caught my eye was the mention of a cocktail Barry enjoyed at a Kentucky Derby party at Finger Lakes Distilling in upstate New York. There was no recipe, only fleeting poetry: "a cocktail made with beet juice, apple cider, star anise simple syrup, and rye..." Intriguing. More

Whether you're taking to the streets or staying home to pass out candy, try stirring up a witch's brew in your cauldron this Halloween. Made with equal parts pomegranate and cranberry juices, this deliciously dark (but alcohol-free) concoction is perfect for sipping between trips to the front door or packed into a Thermos for a spooky night out with candy-seeking trick-or-treaters. More

Like pound cake, three teacup chicken refers to the "small Chinese teacup," which is used to "measure the soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar." At least that's what Grace Young and Alan Richardson claim for this rendition in The Breath of a Wok. Cute anecdote aside, what's amazing is how simple this sauce is to make. It's tart, sweet, astonishingly complex. Plus it comes together in a matter of seconds, and pairs nicely with the chicken. More

This is the kind of chicken noodle soup I can get into. It's warming and comforting, with hunks of chicken meat and slinky noodles suspended in a rich stock. But this isn't some bland rendition. No, this soup is imbued with the haunting aroma of star anise and cinnamon, and tickled by the numbing sensation of Sichuan pepper. A sprinkling of chopped chile completes this assertive bowl of soup, which comes together surprisingly fast. More

When I open my spice cabinet, I'm bombarded by aromas. Curry spices, sweet spices, souring agents, dried and fermented fruits, herbs, and chiles all compete for my attention. But one spice never fails to grab it: star anise. It's alluring and potent, the exotic idealized. To taste star anise is to understand the full power of spices—their depth of flavor and their near-endless complexity. Cardamom may be called the queen of spices, but this is the crown jewel. More

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz] If there's a more noble application for the last of the season's plums than cobbler, I don't know what is. It's a perfect fruit delivery system, and the application of heat and sugar can hide any imperfections... More

Star anise contributes more depth of flavor, elevating this from a citrusy ice to something more exotic. You don't need much, and it doesn't need to steep for very long to impart its flavor. The coconut water base is subtle and anise easily overwhelms everything it touches. But when your flavors are balanced, you'll be rewarded with a dessert that's bright and exotic, with a tinge of gingery heat and a kiss of licorice sweetness. More

What could be better than chocolate, tequila and ice cream on a hot August afternoon? So why not put them all together in one amazing ice cream concoction? Funny you should ask, because that's exactly what we did. More